Do you know: I am Qi Heng

"We'll leave right away, just wait a little longer!"

Gu Tingye turned his head and replied, and Rongjie lowered the carriage curtain upon hearing this.

"Zhonghuai, you...sigh..." Sheng Changbai was full of anxiety and worry, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

It's quite obvious that Gu Tingye had a mistress while studying at Bailudong Academy, and they even had a child together.

Even married men who keep mistresses are subject to criticism, and Gu Tingye is not yet married.

Without children, it's easy to get rid of people. But with children, how can this be hidden?

If this gets out, it will be considered a breach of personal morality.

Although compared to the red lines of loyalty and filial piety, keeping a mistress would not directly affect his official career.

However, the indirect impact is enormous.

Leaving aside the Gu family, even if some officials in officialdom are secretly promiscuous, they would not outwardly associate too closely with someone who has a flawed private morality.

Moreover, this is a stain on his record, and it could become an excuse for others to target him in crucial promotions in the future.

In other words, even if Gu Tingye succeeds in the imperial examination, his future prospects will be greatly affected by this incident.

"Zecheng, we'll talk about the details after we're settled. You said in your previous letter that you'd found me a place, so take me there first!"

Gu Tingye was worried that if he stayed here too long, he would be recognized.

"Go wait for me at Zhoumen Lane in the west of the city. I'll have someone prepare the car; I'll be there shortly!"

Sheng Changbai also knew that this was not the place to talk.

"good!"

Gu Tingye looked at Qi Heng and said, "We'll catch up later!"

Watching Gu Tingye get into his car and leave, Sheng Changbai sighed, "I felt something was off about him asking me to find him a house, and he even specifically told me not to handle any house-related matters. Turns out it was to house his mistress. If I had known this, I wouldn't have paid any attention!"

The Office of Household Registration was the government's rental agency, which controlled many cheap houses as well as some private residences.

However, because it is an official agency, they are very strict in verifying personal information when renting a room.

"Brother Zecheng is just saying that. Even if Second Uncle is telling the truth, can you bear to ignore it?" Qi Heng said with a smile.

"You, Qi Yuanruo, how can you still laugh at a time like this!"

Sheng Changbai said, "You know how troublesome this matter is!"

"I know, but what's done is done, and getting angry or worried now won't help."

Qi Heng shook his head and said, "Let's go over and hear what Second Uncle has to say!"

"Um!"

Sheng Changbai nodded and immediately instructed his attendants to prepare a carriage. Once the carriage arrived, the two of them boarded it.

"Yuanruo, don't you think there's something wrong with Zhonghuai's mistress?" Sheng Changbai suddenly asked.

"Um?"

Qi Heng asked in surprise, "Something's not right?"

He naturally knew that Manniang was very cunning, but Sheng Changbai hadn't even seen her yet, and he already knew it?

"Zhong Huai didn't go to the main gate, and he wouldn't let his mistress get out of the carriage either, obviously because he was afraid of being seen."

Sheng Changbai frowned and said, "He must have also instructed us that if there are only children in the car, it is normal for them to be impatient and lift the curtain."

But her mistress was clearly in the car, so why didn't she stop it?

Qi Heng was taken aback, and upon closer reflection, he realized it was indeed true.

Gu Tingye planned to confront his family after achieving top honors in the imperial examinations, and before that, he definitely needed to hide Manniang and her son well.

Although few people pass by the side gate of the Sheng family, the side gate of the neighbor's house is also located here. What if someone comes out and bumps into them?

Therefore, Gu Tingye must have told Manniang not to come out, but Manniang did not stop the child.

After a moment's thought, Qi Heng understood Man Niang's thoughts. She must know Gu Tingye's plan: to keep her and the child hidden away forever.

He must not be discovered before he passes the imperial examination with flying colors.

But Man Niang didn't trust Gu Tingye, or rather, she wasn't sure if Gu Tingye could pass the exam.

Gu Tingye's arrangements and promises to her were all based on her passing the imperial examination with flying colors.

However, he did not tell her what to do if she failed the exam.

Manniang was worried that if Gu Tingye failed the exam, he might keep her hiding or even send her away.

She didn't know that Gu Tingye would tell Sheng Changbai about her existence, so to prevent this from happening, she deliberately had Rong Jie'er lift the curtain and call out to Gu Tingye.

Thus, her existence could no longer be concealed.

If no one knows, Gu Tingye might have no choice but to send her away.

But now that his friends all know, Gu Tingye can't do that even if it's for the sake of his reputation.

Although these are Qi Heng's guesses, they are based on his observations of Man Niang, and they should be pretty accurate.

After figuring this out, Qi Heng couldn't help but shake his head.

Sheng Changbai could sense something was wrong even before he had officially met the person, while Gu Tingye and Manniang had been together for several years and had two children, yet he hadn't noticed anything amiss.

He remembered that Man Niang caused a lot of trouble later on, and Ming Lan even directly exposed that Man Niang was not as simple as she seemed, which Gu Tingye did not believe at first.

I'm completely bewitched.

"Should we remind Second Uncle?" Qi Heng asked.

"How can we address this kind of speculation?"

Sheng Changbai shook his head and said, "Zhong Huai isn't stupid. If there really was a problem, he would have noticed it. Maybe I'm just being paranoid."

"Too!"

Qi Heng nodded. He felt that in the original timeline, Sheng Changbai might have also sensed something was wrong, but was hesitant to speak up due to his concerns.

After meeting up with Gu Tingye, they arrived at the rented house.

The courtyard that Sheng Changbai rented was located in the western part of the outer city, not far from the western city wall of Bianjing.

It was located in a relatively remote area within the city, and the surrounding area was inhabited by ordinary people from Bianjing (Kaifeng).

The house is not large, with only three main rooms, two side rooms, and a small courtyard.

Gu Tingye looked around and was quite satisfied.

"I've had the house cleaned. Just add some small items and you can move in right away!" Sheng Changbai said somewhat stiffly.

He originally thought he only had one daughter, but he never expected that he also had a son.

"Manniang, take the child inside and tidy up first," Gu Tingye said.

"Why!"

Manniang smiled and agreed, then led the two children into the house.

"Zecheng, thank you for your trouble!" Gu Tingye bowed and thanked him.

"Zhonghuai!"

Sheng Changbai's expression was serious, and he said in a low voice, "You're not married yet. If word gets out, which family would be willing to marry their daughter to you?"

Even if marriage doesn't require matching social status, it's still considered marrying someone of higher social standing or someone of lower social standing.

Gu Tingye had a mistress and two children before his marriage, one of whom was a boy.

Even if the Gu family acknowledges this child, he will only be an illegitimate son. Unless the family is of much lower social standing than the Gu family, no one would be willing to marry off their daughter.

It is not to say that illegitimate sons can affect the status of legitimate sons; in fact, the position of legitimate sons is very difficult to shake.

The problem is that it will affect the status of the legal wife.

The woman is willing to accept her son-in-law taking concubines after marriage, even if there are many.

However, they find it difficult to accept the practice of taking a concubine before marriage.

The status of the eldest son is guaranteed by clan etiquette and law, but the status of the principal wife is affected by whether the husband likes her or not.

The act of taking a concubine before marriage, or even keeping a mistress, indicates that the man was very fond of her.